| "Canada on Strike" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| South Park episode | |||
Terrance and Phillip arguing with Steven Aboutman, the head of the "World Canadian Bureau" (WGA[1]) |
|||
| Episode no. | Season 12 Episode 4 |
||
| Directed by | Trey Parker | ||
| Written by | Trey Parker | ||
| Production code | 1204 | ||
| Original air date | April 2, 2008 | ||
| Episode chronology | |||
|
|||
| South Park (season 12) List of South Park episodes |
|||
"Canada on Strike" is the fourth episode of the twelfth season of the animated television series South Park,[2] and the 171st episode of the series overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 2, 2008. In the episode, the nation of Canada, feeling disrespected by the rest of the world, goes on a general strike, demanding money, spurring the boys to raise money by creating a viral video.
The episode was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker, and was rated TV-MA LV in the United States. Contrary to popular belief, the episode was not inspired by the stereotype that no one knows or cares about Canada, but it was inspired by the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. It features appearances by the creators of a number of famous viral videos.
Contents |
Mr. Mackey informs the students that it is Canada Appreciation Day. He plays a video in which Steven Aboutman (pronounced in the episode as "Abootman"), President of the World Canadian Bureau (acronym: WGA),[1] asks the students to remember all of Canada's contributions to the world. When he asks, "When you think of Canada, what's the one thing that comes to mind?", Cartman responds "Gayness!" Aboutman also asks, "What is it that makes Canada so important?" and Craig replies "Nothing!" All the other students laugh and ridicule the Canadians (except for Ike, who is the only South Park Elementary student of Canadian descent). In Canada, Aboutman learns of the world's lackluster response to Canada Appreciation Day, and resolves to have the country go on strike, spurring the Canadians break out into a choreographed song and dance number. When Aboutman and his cohorts announce their strike to an assembly of world leaders, the other countries' delegates are confused as to what exactly Canada wants. Aboutman responds "more money", and when asked where this money should come from he exclaims "the Internet makes lots of money. Give us some of that money!" When the other delegates try to explain that they cannot give Canada money, Aboutman storms out and shouts that the strike will continue.
Later, Kyle is watching Ike, his adopted brother from Canada, stand outside his house, picketing. Kyle approaches the other boys with worries about his brother, but they are too busy watching Terrance and Phillip to care. Realizing that all the Terrance and Phillip episodes are reruns, they attempt to call Steven Aboutman to end the strike. While on the phone with him, they agree that Canada deserves more money but they do not have any to give. In a plan to raise money from the Internet, the boys post a video on "YouToob" of Butters singing Samwell's "What What (In the Butt)".[3] It goes viral, but in order to claim their money at the Colorado Department of Internet Money, the boys must wait in line behind other Internet video sensations, such as Laughing Baby, Dramatic Chipmunk,[4] Tay Zonday, Afro Ninja, Sneezing Panda, Chris Crocker, Tron Guy, the Star Wars Kid, Back Dorm Boys, and Numa Numa. In an argument over who is more famous, most of the other Internet celebrities kill each other (the fate of Laughing Baby, Back Dorm Boys and Afro Ninja is never depicted), the boys advance in line, and they receive 10 million "theoretical dollars", which are printed on clear plastic cheques with no monetary value.
Still striking, many Canadians are dying of starvation, and a news report shows that America has brought in Danish people to fill their positions. Despite protests from Terrance and Phillip, Aboutman vows to continue the strike. When the boys present him their theoretical dollars, Aboutman is outraged, and refuses to call off the strike until he feels he has won something. Kyle convinces the world leaders to give Canada a consolation prize of gumballs and Bennigan's coupons. The strike is settled, and the boys go home where Kyle gives an extremely verbose speech about the current feasibility of generating revenue on the Internet. Aboutman throws a party to celebrate end of the strike, treating it as a great victory for Canada, but Terrance and Phillip realize that the gumballs and coupons are worth $3,008, whereas Canada lost $10.4 million by striking. As Terrance and Phillip finally reveal this to the Canadian public, as a punishment, Mr. Aboutman and his men are banished by being set adrift on a block of ice.
"Canada on Strike" was written and directed by series co-founder Trey Parker, and was rated TV-MA L in the United States. It first aired on April 2, 2008 in the United States on Comedy Central. Shortly after "Canada on Strike" was originally broadcast, two different T-shirts and hooded sweatshirts based on the episode were made available on the official South Park website: one of Butters dressed in the astronaut outfit he wore in his YouTube video,[5] and the second of Ike holding a sign saying "Canada on strike".[6]
The episode was a criticism of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. TV Squad's Brad Trechak noted that "Trey Parker and Matt Stone are not members of any of the unions, and they negotiated Internet profit-sharing before it became an issue for the WGA. They have also remained consistent with their dislike of the Hollywood creative elite (including actors and writers, although they are both) and their willingness to take a different viewpoint than the popular media."[7] IGN's Travis Fickett stated that "It was probably inevitable that South Park would comment on the writers' strike in some fashion, and here they do – by way of Canada."[1] Josh Modell, writing for The A.V. Club suggested that "it's clear that Parker and Stone feel that the writers completely screwed themselves in the long run, but that subplot is almost beside the point."[8]
Modell gave the episode an A grade as it "was a great episode because the jokes came quick and funny, not because there was some huge point to be made". A notable part of the episode for him was the viral video, "What What (In The Butt)".[8]
Fickett gave the episode a rating of 7.6. He noted that though it was an "issue" episode, it was still humorous, unlike other such episodes like "Britney's New Look". Overall, while it wasn't a bad episode "the show muddles the argument it's trying to make by letting the parallels to Canada get off track."[1]
Trechak noted especially "the battle royal [sic] scene with all the YouTube people" and the "scintillating conversation" of the Canadians at the episode end. Trechak was "happy to see South Park get back on track to the focus and humor from the previous seasons."[7]
In November 2010, Comedy Central and Viacom, Comedy Central's parent company, was sued for copyright infringement for their recreation of the viral video, What What (In the Butt).[9] The case was dismissed with prejudice before discovery.[10]
|
||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||